Coddling Criminals and the Breakdown of Law and Order
Lawmakers in California are proposing legislation that would ban retail staff from intervening when thieves steal from their stores. Senate Bill 553, submitted by State Senator Dave Cortese, has already passed the State Senate and is now moving to policy committees in the State Assembly. While proponents argue the law will protect employees from workplace violence, it’s really nothing more than the latest example of our government bowing down to criminals and punishing law-abiding citizens.
Senate Bill 553 will only exacerbate the ongoing crime wave and further undermine law and order. It’s starting to seem like that’s precisely what many of our so-called representatives want.
“This bill goes way too far, number one, where I think it will open the doors even wider for people to come in and steal from our stores,” said Rachel Michelin, California Retailers Association (CRA) president and CEO, in a report by Fox KTVU.com.
Prosecutors already ignore theft under $1,000. Now store owners won’t even be able to stop shoplifters!
In a state that has become synonymous with rising crime rates and a lack of safety for businesses and residents, it’s unbelievable that any right-minded person would even propose a bill like this. The state’s crime wave has forced major retailers like Whole Foods, Nordstrom, and Target to close their doors due to an inability to ensure the safety of their staff. Unfortunately, many smaller businesses have been left with no choice but to endure attacks with zero help or support from their local governments. The proposed legislation will only worsen the situation by allowing thieves to exploit and further damage the struggling retail sector.
But this isn’t just a California problem. In fact, retailers nationwide say an unwillingness to punish criminals has created an epidemic of theft and violence that is now plaguing small businesses throughout the United States.
Even before their PRIDE debacle, Target reported a staggering $400 million profit loss in 2022 due to organized retail crime. This year, theft at Target Stores is expected to hit $600 million in losses.
But again, this isn’t just large corporations who are suffering. According to the National Retail Federation, retail theft cost businesses $95 billion in 2021, a 4% increase from the previous year. Furthermore, a survey conducted by Business.org found that 54% of small business owners reported an increase in shoplifting activity in 2021.
A Homeland Security Investigations report issued last year said estimates regarding organized retail crime found “the average American family will pay more than $500 annually in additional costs due to the impact.”
Sadly, these numbers are much worse once you add in looting and deranged mob attacks by organized black gangs pretending BLM is an excuse to destroy entire stores.
The concerning trend of discouraging employees from engaging shoplifters has now morphed into punishing them for calling the police as well. The CEO of Lululemon, Calvin McDonald, fired two employees for calling the police on three masked men who robbed a Georgia store. This zero-tolerance policy on engagement makes no sense since all they have done is declare Open season on all of their stores.
The video was posted to Facebook by Jason Ferguson, husband of former assistant manager Jennifer Ferguson, who said she was fired from the store for calling the police on the thieves.
The Dystopian Dilemma: Is a Lawless America the Future We Want?
Earlier this month, a Chicago-based branch of Walgreens moved from locking everything up, to a new ‘anti-theft’ design in which only two aisles contain actual products for customers to place in their baskets freely. Everything else must be ordered at a counter because we live in a country that would rather punish law-abiding citizens instead of holding criminals responsible.
In major cities, along our border, and now even in the suburbs and rural America, the rule of law has lost meaning, leaving hard-working families burdened with both personal sacrifice and financial losses.
Beware! The Chaos is Coming to Your City!
As I’ve pointed out in my book, The Ultimate Situational Survival Guide: Self-Reliance Strategies for a Dangerous World, and as we continue to warn our readers on OFFGRID Survival, these disgusting attacks on our society have become an everyday occurrence in this country.
It is time to wake up to the grim reality of what our once great nation has become! Our culture and country are succumbing to the horrors of ghettoization, which pose one of the most significant threats we have ever faced! If you have not yet prepared yourself for the increasing social unrest, then let me tell you, YOU ARE NOT PREPARED!
Check out our social unrest page where we document these shocking attacks. Don’t be fooled into thinking they are isolated occurrences! We have been cataloging these attacks on our social unrest page and revealing the truth about how these urban mob assaults have become a daily problem.
